Bomb hoax
Sonepat: A bomb hoax today led to disruption of rail traffic on the Sonepat-Delhi section of the Northern Railway for about two hours this morning. According to police, the disruption was caused following an information that a bomb had been planted on the railway line between Azadpur and Badli railway stations, about 45 km from here. The railway officials immediately swung into action and checked the railway track. But the information turned out to be a hoax. Meanwhile, several trains scheduled to pass the track were stopped midway. The Amritsar-bound Barauni Express, which had left Subzi Mandi railway station at around 8.00 a.m., was stopped at Azadpur railway station.

Water supply project
Kharar: The Punjab government has approved a Rs 265.34-lakh project with the assistance of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) for the extension and augmentation of the drinking water supply scheme in Kharar township. Roopnagar Executive Engineer of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB) B.L. Garg said that under this project, HUDCO has sanctioned a loan of Rs 132.67 lakh while the government and the local Municipal Council will provide Rs 79.6 lakh and Rs 53.07 lakh, respectively. Two overhead supply reservoirs and five more water-supply tubewells will be constructed.

Office-bearers
Patiala: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Patiala Central Co-operative Bank: chairman: Sukhdev Singh, managing director: Tejinder Pal Singh Sandhu, vice-chairman: J.S. Bhambal, Inderjit Singh, Harbans Singh and Bachattar Singh are members of the executive.n PATIALA: M.R. Verma has been elected president of Lions Club, Patiala Central. V.K. Gupta, H.R. Narang and Amarjit Arora have been elected vice-presidents, B.L. Sethi secretary and Verinder Gupta treasurer.

Regularisation Sought
Patiala: The Punjab State Karamchari Dal has urged the state government to order regularisation of services of work-charged and daily-wagers working in the Public Works Department (B and R) and the Irrigation and Public Health Department on the Himachal pattern. Kulbir Singh Saidkheri, general secretary of the Dal, said the Himachal government had taken a bold step in this direction and ordered regularisation of services of 4,955 daily-wagers and work-charged employees working in different departments.

Home Guards threaten stir
Patiala: Punjab Home Guards have threatened to launch an agitation if the state government failed to accept their long pending demands soon. Hem Raj, vice-president of the Patiala district unit of Punjab Home Guards' Union, said that due to the non-acceptance of their demands, resentment was brewing among the Home Guards. He said that while thier duty hours were rather long, a home guard got only Rs 70 per day. He added that though the state government had committed to accept their demands, nothing had been done so far. Criticising the government attitude, he complained that the Home Guards had not paid received salaries for the last two months.

PSEB management flayed
Patiala: Dr. Naresh Raj and Avinash Gupta, president and general secretary of the Medical Officers and Para-Medical Staff Association (PSEB), have criticised the management's attitude towards medical and para-medical staff working in the Board. In a press release, the two said a circular issued by the Finance Department of the Board on monthly conveyance allowance is discriminatory as doctors working only at Patiala would be getting Rs 1,200 as car allowance whereas all the doctors in the Board would be getting Rs 480 first.

They said the Board management should be considerate towards the pensioners, who, they added, should be given electricity concession as given to serving employees.